The "shi... de" construction for emphasizing details

The "shi... de construction," also known as the "shi... de construct" or "shi... de pattern" in English, is 是⋯⋯的结构 (shì... de jiégòu) in Chinese (literally, "shi... de structure").

Basic 是 ... 的 structure

Picking out different details with 是 ... 的

When to use 是 ... 的

"The situation is that"

"It was ... that ..."

Negating 是 ... 的

是 ... 的 and questions

是 is often optional

Where to put 的 in a 是 ... 的 construction

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites